Heel plate for shoes and the like



May 8; 1928. 1,669,270

F. D. WALPOLE HEEL PLATE FOR SHOESAND THE LIKE Filed June 192s HIWMWW%SJFLQE= n I V i Patented May 8, 1928.

FRANKLIN DAVID WALPOLE, OF MCKENZIE, TENNESSEE.

HEEL PLATE FOR SHOES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed. June 30, 1923. SeriaiNo. 648,659.

This invention rel'atesto certain improvements in heel plates for shoes and the like;

and the nature and objects of the invent-ion will be readily recrfgnizedand understood by those. skilled in the art to which it relates in the light of the following explanation and detailed. description of. the acccompanying drawings illustrating what I at ,present'consider to be the preferred embodiment or mechanical expression of the invention from among various other forms, arrangements, combinations and constructions of which the invention is capable within the spirit and scope thereof.

An object of the invention is to protect the feet of a wearer from rough, uneven interiors or inner soles commonly encountered in foot wear and more particularly to protect the heel-ofythe foot from contact with and injury by a rough, uneven inner surface at the heel of a. shoe, such as may be occasionedby projecting nails, tacks orthe like.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the treatment of the feet and body throng-lithe heels, by means positioned within footwear at'the heels thereof for engagement with the heels ofa wearer.

A further object of the invention is the provision of heel plates for mounting with-J in shoes at the heels thereof, which form a protection forthe heels of the wearer-and also form containers. or carriers for medicaments for treating the feet and body wearer. i V

A further object of the invention is to provide as a new article of. manufacture, a soft metal heel protecting plate adapted to be placed within a shoe at the heel thereof and to receive and conformIto the foot of a wearer, and which plate is formed to carry a medicament for treatmentof the foot of a wearer in engagement therewith. With the foregoing and various other objects and resultsin view, which other objects and results will be readily apparent to those familiar with this art, the invention consists in certain novel features in construcand engaging surface,

of the.

Fig. 2, is a plan View of thebottomor shoe engagingside; of the invention.

' F g. 3, isa transverse section through a heelp late taken on the line 3430f Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 ,is a plan view of ablank in open, position from which a heel, plate-is formed.

In, the illustrated example of one possible form of the invention presenting the broad principles and featuresthereof, a protecting and medicament carryingheel plate A is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. The plate A is formedof the proper size and shape to fit into a shoe at theheel thereof and rest in flat position on and covering the inner surface of the shoe heel. Preferably, the heel plates Aare constructed from so-called soft metal materials such as zinc and copper which are readily bendable, for a purpose appearing and explained here inafter.

Each plate. A is formed of an upper ply 10 prov1dingthe upperor heel receiving and-a lower ply 11 providing'the'shoe engaging face or surface,

of the plate. Theupper and lowergplies 1 0 and 11 are formed of a relativelythin soft metal andsuperposed and joined togetherin fixed heel plate forming relation. A strip or layer of felt '12, orany other suitable or" desired absorbent'n aterial, is interposed be- .tweenthe upper and lower plies 10 and 11;

and is formed of substantially the shape and size of the plate A so as. to extend throughout the plate between and covering the opposite interior facesof the plies 10 and 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The upper heel receiving ply 1.0 of the plate- A is provided with aseries ofapertures or boresll extendin therethrough'and expos ing the: felt ELbSOlilQlltstrip 12in the plate,

A. It will be understood that any desired number and arrangement of apertures 14 can .be providedpalthough it is preferable that these apertures be arranged over the major portion of the ply 10 to come in con! tact withas large an area of a heel received by the plate as possible- -A preferred arrangement and spacing thereof over the platefA isshown in Fig. l of. the drawin s. i K series of V cuts are formed at spaced intervals in the-under orv lower shoe engaging ply ll of plate A, with the apexes thereof toward the forward edge-.15 of the plate,

to form a series of pointed shoe engaging teeth 16, by bending the same outwardly a slight distance from the surface of the ply 11. The teeth 16, so formed, and positioned are particularly shown by Fig. 8 of the drawings. 7

One manner of forming the heel plate "A is shown in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings, in which the upper and lower plies 10 and 11 are constructed from a single one-piece blank B having a transverse bending line 17 intermediate the ends thereof to divide the blank B into the plies 10 and 11 and to form the front or forward edge of the plate A when the blank is folded into plate forming relation. The portion of the blank B forming the upper ply 10, is pgrovided with an edge flange 18. The blank can be formed by cutting, stamping, or any other suitable method, and the apertures 1 1 and teeth 16 are formedtherein in the proper positions, as shown in Fig. 4. To construct a plate A from the blank 13, a felt absorbent strip 12 is placed in position on and covering the portion of the blank forming the upper ply 10, and the portion forming ply 11 is then bent along the line 17 over onto and covering the strip 12 and ply 10. In this position the flange 18 is then bent up over and onto the ply 11 to fix and secure the plies 10 and 11 with the felt strip 12 interposed therebetween, into position and relation forming a heel plate A. The flange 18 thus forms and provides the curved rear edge portion of the plate A adapted to fit and conform to the shape of the back of a shoe. In operation and use of the invention, a heelplate A is placed in a shoe at and covering the heel portion thereof with the edge 15 of the plate forming the forward end thereof and the curved portion provided by the flange 18 forming the rear end conforming to the curvature of the back of the shoe, as will be readilyunderstood. The plate A is placed in a shoe with the lower ply 11 thereof on and against the inner surface of the shoe and the forwardly extending pointed teeth 16 engaging the shoe and preventing the plate from creeping forward from proper position. The upper ply 10 of the plate with the apertures 14, is positioned to receive the heel of the foot, and due to the soft metal of which the plate is formed it will conform to the shape and contour of the heel under the pressure to which it is subjected in use, and thus form a smooth seat or pocket which naturally and comfortably receives the heel and protects the same from any roughness on the interior of the shoe at the heel thereof. The felt absorbent strip 12 within theplate A can be impregnated with any suitable or desired medicament beforeinsertion between and enclosed by the plies 10 and 11, or can be impregnated as desired after completion of the plates, through apertures 14. In use in a shoe, the heel ofa wearer rests upon the upper ply 10 of the plate and receives the medicament with which the felt or other absorbent material strip 12 is impregnated, through the apertures 14, thus permitting treatment of the feet and body of a wearer through the heels in engagement with the heel plates A of the invention. The plate A in use as above referred to is dished or depressed to form substantially a pocket therein, due to the pressure of a heel, and

this can-be employed to retain powdered or other types of medicaments for treating the foot or body of a wearer of a shoe having a plate A' mounted therein by through the heel pores.

According to one form of the invention, a pair of plates A are provided, with one of the plates formed of zinc and the other of copper, or any other two different metals capable of securing the desired results, and the absorbent material strips of the plates are impregnated with a suitable chemical. In use a copper plate A is placed in the heel of one shoe of a pair, and a zinc plate A is placed in the other shoe.

From the foregoing description and explanation of the form of the invention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, it is seen that a heel plate is provided which forms. a protection when mounted inposition in a shoe, and further acts as a medicament carrier for treatmentabsorption of the feet and body through absorption of themedicament through the pores of a heel in engagement with and received by the plate. The broad principles and features of the invention can be mechanically expressed in various other waysthan by the form and embodiment presented and described here with for purposes of example, and it is to be understood that it is not intended by this disclosure to restrict the invention to the exact'construction of the plate A from the blank B, or to the specific formation andarrangement of the shoe engaging teeth 16 and apertures 14.

It is also evident that various changes, modifications, variations and substitutions in details might be resorted to without d'e-- parting from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to i the specific detailed disclosure hereof.

Desiring to protect my invention in the broadest manner legally possible what I claim is 1. A heel protecting plate for shoes, com-' prising an upper ply forming a heel engaging' surface, a lower ply forming a shoe contacting surface, the said upper and lower plies superposed and fixed together in plate forming relation, and forwardly extending members depending from the lower ply and formed with free end portions adapted to engage a shoe in mounted position of the plate to prevent displacement by creeping.

2. A heel protecting plate for shoes, comprising an upper ply forming a heel engaging surface, a lower ply fixed to said upper ply and forming a shoe contacting surface, and absorbent material strip interposed between the upper and lower ply to provide a medicament carrier, apertures formed in the upper ply exposing said medicament carrier,

' and members formed from the lower ply having forwardly extending free end portions to engage a shoe and prevent displacement of the plate in use. I

3. A heel protecting plate for shoes formed from a blank of soft metal bent over upon itself to provide upper and lower superposed plies, a strip of absorbent material forming a medicament carrier interposed and providing a yielding cushion between said plies,

the said plies with the absorbent material strip interposed therebetween secured and fixed together in plate forming relation, apertures formed in the upper ply for exposing said strip, and the said soft metal upper ply pressed into shape conforming to and receiving a heel thereon in use.

4c. In a removable heel protecting plate for shoes, a series of tabs struck out from the plate and depending from the shoe engaging face thereof with their free end portions extended toward the forward end of the plate, the free end portions of said tabs formed to engage a shoe to prevent creeping of the plate in use.

5. A heel protecting plate for insertion in and removalfrom shoes, embodying an upper ply and a lower plyof sheet metal fixed together to form the plates, and a spaced series of substantially V-shaped tabs struck out from the lower ply and depending therefrom with their pointed free ends extended toward the forward end of the plate and forming shoe engaging portions to prevent creeping of the plate from mounted position in a shoe.

Signed at McKenzie, Tennessee, this 15 day of June, 1923.

F. DAVID WALPOLE. 

